Perpetrator had a knife

After casino robbery: “I would do it again!”

Gerhard Gabriel (57) put his life on the line - he overpowered an armed robber.(Bild: Jennifer Kapellari)

Gerhard Gabriel (57) just happened to be in the casino in Klagenfurt that evening when an armed Armenian tried to rob the store. He not only confronted the robber, but even disarmed him and held him until the police arrived. The "Krone" spoke to the hero about the dangerous situation.

"Krone": Mr. Gabriel, you witnessed the robbery at the casino - how did you experience the incident?
Gerhard Gabriel: I had just ordered a coffee in another room when I suddenly heard loud noises coming from the anteroom. I wanted to see what was going on.

And then you saw the robber?
Yes, exactly. He was wearing a mask and was threatening the man behind the counter with a large kitchen knife! That flipped a switch in me. So I tried to take the knife away from him from behind and had to drag him all the way along the counter. Eventually I was able to trip him up, turn my hand over and pin him to the floor.

Weren't you afraid for your own life?
I almost died a year ago - I had to be resuscitated. Since then, I see many things differently. Before anything happened to anyone or the situation escalated, I wanted to try and disarm him. I used to do martial arts - and I didn't think much about it.

How do you feel when you think about it afterwards?
It really could have turned out differently. I'm just glad that nobody was hurt. But I don't regret anything, I would do it again and again! Civil courage is very rare these days, I just wanted to help!

How long did it take for the police to arrive?
About 10 minutes. They gave me the thumbs up and praised my moral courage!

Did the perpetrator talk to you when you were holding him?
Yes, he only told me that he had lost 2,000 euros gambling. But that's no reason to threaten someone with a knife!

And the man whose life you saved?
He said that from now on I can drink free coffee here for the rest of my life (laughs).